Dreamer Easy

Continuing to watch The Making of Me in bits. JB's genuine emotion when a scientist reckons orientation is determined in the womb is rather sweet. But the best part so far is when he talks (with commendable respect) to the "ex-gay" guy. Firstly, because the narrator explains that John's having trouble finding any "ex-gay" guys to talk to him, with thirty of them turning him down: you can't help but think this is because they figure, in the face of Barrowman Power, their hard-won "heterosexuality" will vanish in about four seconds. >:) And secondly, the reason I'm using so many "quotation marks": the "ex-gay" guy makes it abundantly clear that he is still homosexual. For him, men are like cigarettes or chocolate - something he has chosen to abstain from, rather than something he no longer desires. This brings to mind one of those cartoons where a ravenous character sees the person sitting opposite them as a roast chicken, or in this case, a family-size block of Cadbury's.

Also, Scott pwns.

ETA: The relevance of the "nature or choice?" debate struck me as I rummaged in New Scientist and discovered UK MP Iris Robinson's shameful remarks. Homophobes claim that same-sex attraction is "not natural" and can be "cured". Decades of science knock those claims down like houses of cards. However one may personally feel or what one's church teaches: God made teh ghey.

More Food Channel shows:

The Soup
Wings
The Mole
MASH
Danger Mousse
The Muensters
Life On Mars Bars
Bunanza
Movie: The Sand Wich Project

A few of the ones I didn't end up including in my IBARW posting...

( Warning BIGness )

I was just forced to sit through an entire episode of "Judge" Judy in order to see my doctor. Talk about cheese grater to the nipples. I'm relieved to learn via Wikipedia that she's not, in fact, acting as a judge, and that's not a courtroom, but a set with extras.

... cripes, she was born a Blum. I hope we're not related.

I know I watched The Perils of Penelope Pitstop as a tot, but looking at clips of it on YouTube triggers no memories at all (except for Penelope's "Hayulp, hayulp!"). My childhood idols, though, were Princess from Battle of the Planets and Batgirl.

I would have loved to have been part of Yogi's Gang.

My mum called me "Precious Pup". I now call the cats that.

I think Shaggy from Scooby Doo should lead a superteam of characters obviously derived from him, including Tinker from Speed Buggy and Wally from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids.

ETA: Here's a highly accurate picture of life in the Southern US from Deputy Dawg. (Note the soldier's supplies behind him.) It's a lot more entertaining if you mentally replace each instance of "cotton-pickin'" with its less euphemistic equivalent. (Sadly, nowhere in this particular short does Muskie say "It's pawsibule", wot we used to quote.)

... that leaves just a couple more half-memories of childhood TV in Canberra to track down: opening titles with scratchy white lines dancing on a black background, forming various shapes, including the Eiffel Tower; and (this was a different show) a cartoon cliffhanger which terrified me, in which the protagonist (a boy?) and offsider (his dog?) fall into a giant jelly, possibly a monster, and he cries: "We'll be smothered!"

Quote I want on the back of my next novel: "I was pleasantly surprised that I had no head-desky moments." :-)

Spike off "Press Gang" IS Captain Jack. He is.

Giving a new meaning to "Dungeon Master"...

Rude Latin graffiti in Fires of Pompeii.

Incredibly cool theory about the Doctor's name - possible SPOILER!

There's no way I'm the first person to comment on the similarity between Top Gear and The Goodies.

Rather than keep linking the endless adorable snaps, can I just commend boston_buddies to brighten up your flist? I thank you.

The original video for Satisfaction by Benny Benassi. I saw about a minute of this and immediately bought the song. If I'd seen the other video first, with its cringingly awful and irrelevant porn, I wouldn't have bothered.

Some favourite bits from the Kenny Everett Video Show: David Bowie vs Angry of Mayfair ("Chase me round and call me names!"); DIY Bee Gees ("Switch the recording on... now."); Interviewing the all, ever-lovely David Essex ("A personal question now, David."); and some Captain Kremmen ("Hello? To whom am I speaking at?").

LOLCat Bible

Australia is a bidder to host the Square Kilometre Array telescope, which will be the world's largest and most powerful radio telescope.

I'd seen the Who and Torchwood ones, but I had no idea redscharlach had done mini-icons for so many series - even The Good Life! Hello Margo!